Try
by Ciara in cotton socks
Summary: Ever since The Incident between them in the Hog's Head, Victoire Weasley has been trying to forget about her sister's boyfriend.  But some things are easier said than done.


**A/N: Though I wish I could claim the ingenious idea of writing stories inspired by the beautiful songs of Melissa Polinar, it was in fact the brainchild of Vanity Sinning. This is part of my entry to her 'The Next Generation Musical Competition' on the HPFC forum. Each contestant was given five songs by a particular artist (in my case, Melissa Polinar) and had to write five different stories based on them about the same next generation characters. Mine, as you can see, are Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley, and this oneshot incorporates lyrics from the song 'Try', from which it also takes its title.**

**This is the second one-shot of my five (the first being 'Say You'll Stay'), and all feedback, both positive and constructively critical, is more than welcome. I hope you enjoy!**

**Kisses,**

**Ciara**

**/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/**

Victoire Weasley sat in the shade of a beech tree overlooking the Black Lake. It was a bright, clear spring day and she had finished all of her homework the night before when she couldn't sleep. Now she was relaxing in the overlong grass by the lakeshore with Ellie Jordan on one side and Claire Wood on the other. Or, more accurately, Victoire was attempting to relax, an exercise which was proving futile. The other two girls lay stretched out on the grass, their feet bare, chattering excitedly about the boys in their year and how someone was sure they had seen Professor Longbottom with a mystery blonde in the Hog's Head on the last Hogsmeade weekend. Victoire was trying to pay attention to their conversation, but her mind kept wandering to her own experience of the Hogsmeade weekend.

She hadn't meant to do it. It had happened out of nowhere, a silly mistake in the less-than-glamorous surroundings of the Hog's Head, and she had tried to convince herself that that was as far as it went. But that niggling voice at the back of her mind wouldn't let it lie. And now that voice was playing games with her heart, which was doing this strange fluttering thing almost constantly, and her eyes kept filling up with tears at inopportune moments. She found herself distracted in classes and unable to sleep at night, out of sync with her friends and flailing in Quidditch practice.

"What do you think, Vic?"

"I- uh, I'm sorry, I just blanked there for a minute," Victoire said with a shaky laugh. "What are we talking about?"

"Teddy Lupin," Claire said through a mouthful of one of her mum's cupcakes. "I mean, I know he's alright looking, and he's a decent enough Quidditch player, but what does your sister see in him?"

"Yeah," Ellie chimed in, propping herself up on her elbows and gazing further up the lakeshore. "Dom's gorgeous, she could have any boy she wanted and she goes for- oh Merlin, there he is!"

She and Claire giggled hysterically and scrambled upright. They flopped down on either side of Victoire, who had frozen in place, and began to peruse the latest issue of _Witch Weekly_, blushing furiously and whispering to each other. Teddy Lupin came strolling along by the edge of the lake, flanked on either side by Fred Weasley and Calvin Matlock. The trio were skimming stones across the tranquil surface, attempting to strike the giant squid which lay basking in the balmy sunlight. Victoire's heart started to do the fluttering thing again and she felt her breath catch painfully in her chest. She couldn't see him, not now, but here he was. His bright turquoise hair caught the clear sunlight perfectly and his brow was furrowed uncharacteristically in thought. To Victoire's great horror, the boys flopped down in the grass about a hundred yards in front of her, Claire and Ellie.

"Alright girls?" Teddy said with a flash of his usual easy grin. "Hey Claire, I heard your dad's been called up to the England squad. It's really great news."

"Cheers," Claire grinned happily, tossing an iced cupcake to each of the boys. Fred and Calvin promptly devoured theirs; Teddy licked at the icing with a small smile and nibbled the tiniest portion of cake. "Mum's not too happy about it though. She reckons he's already spending every minute on Quidditch as it is, says he's going to give himself a heart attack."

The boys chuckled appreciatively and launched into a fervent debate on which Quidditch team was the best in the league and why the English national side were persisting with, as Fred called him, 'that great dirty pillock Flint'. Victoire tried to keep herself in check, attempting to concentrate on the conversation. But it wasn't easy; all she could see was him, in front of her, around her, smothering her. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. She clambered to her feet and gathered up the book she had been reading earlier in the day with shaking limbs.

"You OK Vic?" Ellie asked distractedly. She and Claire looked up worriedly at her, Claire with a second cupcake frozen halfway to her mouth. Victoire just shook her head.

"I'm fine, I just... just forgot to finish up my essay on vampires for Defence," she said shakily, and took off towards the castle before anybody could say anything else. She clutched her book to her chest and hurried up the sloping lawn and through the heavy oak front doors. Only once she was inside, away from the warm sunshine and his eyes and everybody who could find out the truth. She took the stairs two at a time and dodged through a door pretending to be a painting, eventually collapsing against the cool stone of the wall. She shut her eyes and felt a couple of salty tears slip down her flushed cheeks.

She shouldn't have done it. It wasn't just stupid, it was cruel. He had a girlfriend, and she wasn't just any girl; she was her sister. And no matter how hard she tried to pretend that it didn't matter, that he was just another boy to add to the admittedly long list she had kissed, her feelings kept getting in the way.

"Victoire? Vic, are you up here?"

_Oh Merlin_, she thought desperately. It was him. His voice, calling her name. She sank down closer to the floor and tried to hold her breath, determined not to give herself away.

"Vic?"

He wouldn't find her. This corridor was well hidden, he wouldn't realise that she even knew it existed. Victoire held her breath and edged closer to the other end of the deserted hallway. If she could just round the corner, she could get away and-

"Vic, I've been looking for you everywhere."

Too late. Reluctantly, she turned her gaze upward. Teddy stood there, arms folded across his chest and wearing a worried expression. His hair had faded from vibrant teal to a bleak brown and his face was pale.

"Victoire, what's wrong?"

She snorted and pushed away from him, continuing to walk down the corridor at a fast pace. His footsteps quickened and echoed against the bare grey walls as he followed her.

"Victoire, wait!" he called, his fingers tightening around her wrist. She turned to face him again with an exasperated sigh. "Vic, you're worrying me. What on earth's the matter?"

"Did you seriously just ask that question?" Victoire hissed at him, a furious scowl on her pretty features. The tears began to fall thicker and faster from her eyes and she swiped at them angrily. "What do you think is wrong, Teddy? What could possibly be wrong?"

"Vic, is this because of what happened in Hogsmeade?"

"Oh, give the boy a prize!" she exclaimed hysterically, clapping her hands. "Yes, Teddy, it's about 'what happened in Hogsmeade'. You- you kissed me, Teddy! You kissed me, and you're dating my little sister and you... you shouldn't have... I mean..."

"Vic, I'm sorry I upset you," Teddy said gently. "I'd had a bit to drink with Fred and Calvin and it just sort of... happened. I didn't mean to upset you, I really didn't, but it's not a problem, is it? I mean, nobody else has to know. Fred and Calvin were the only ones around, and they didn't see, they would have said if they had and-"

"You think it's that simple?" Victoire said shrilly. She ran a hand through her hair and felt bile rising in her throat. "I can't even _look_ at Dom without... without seeing... _that_. She's my sister, Teddy. You should never have done that, never."

"Look Vic, I'm sorry you're upset but you're not exactly innocent here. It takes two you know," said Teddy in an undertone. He attempted a charming smile, but Victoire's answering glare had it sliding off his face like Stinksap.

"I'd had too much to drink," she whispered furiously. "You and I both know that. I was drunk, and you- you took advantage of me. I knew going to the Hog's Head was a bad idea, but Ellie and Claire managed to talk me into it, and then they started with the Firewhiskey, and I knew it was a bad idea, but you were all teasing me and I couldn't help myself. And then, just to top it all off, you _kissed_ me. And it was stupid, and I tried to convince myself that it meant nothing, I did, but I... I couldn't help myself."

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked curiously. He edged tentatively closer to Victoire, who was trembling from head to toe and looked about ready to faint.

"I mean that I tried," she replied, her voice toneless and somehow empty. "I tried so hard. I tried to tell myself that it was nothing, a stupid, drunken mistake. I'm still trying. There's nothing, nothing I can do to keep my heart away from you. I-I can't help it, I can't tell you how much I try to get you off my mind. I know it's wrong, believe me, I do. I know you're with Dom, and I know that to you this is nothing more than some silly schoolgirl crush but I can't help myself. Everything about you I just want more of."

"Victoire," Teddy said softly, trying to take her hand in his. She tossed it away from her and backed away, shaking her head.

"Don't," she moaned miserably. "Don't get any closer. Just- just don't, OK? I- I can't help it, I can't tell you how much I try to get you off my mind, to help me move on and just live my life. But you're always there in my mind and you just won't _go away_. And I hate it, I hate that I'm falling so helplessly, and I'm scared of losing control. I've tried hiding from it, from you, but nothing works. You're always there. You make it hard to breathe. The way you move, the way you look at me, I... I can't bear it. I'm trying but I'm failing, and so I'm _begging_ you to just leave me alone. I won't tell Dom, I won't, but just let me be so I can try to get over this. O-over you."

"Victoire," Teddy said with a laugh. "Breathe, remember?"

She nodded and gasped in a huge breath of air. She tried to move away again, but he caught her forcefully.

"Look Vic- no, _listen_," he said, and there was something in his voice which made Victoire stop struggling. Reluctantly, she looked up at him. "I'm sorry I've been making you feel this way. I want you to know, I had no idea, I really didn't. But the thing is... I've been trying too, Victoire. I thought if I spoke to you, if I saw that you didn't feel the same, that I could put all this behind me and be happy with Dom. I really thought I could, but I never imagined..."

"What are you saying?" she said slowly, bewilderment on her face. Teddy gave a hopeless little shrug and dipped his head to crush the briefest of kisses to her pursed lips. He pulled away as quickly as he had moved in, his features pale and his hair a faint rose colour.

"I'm sorry," he muttered sheepishly.

"Teddy, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I guess I am," he said with a heavy sigh. "I love you Vic, I think I always have."

"But Dom..."

"... is a sweet girl," Teddy finished. "But she's not you, Victoire. I want you. And Dom, she doesn't love me, not really. What we've been having is fun, that's all. Sure, she'll be hurt for a while, and half of your family will want to kill me, but it'll be worth it."

"Teddy, I don't know," Victoire said doubtfully. Her stomach was rolling over with nerves; it felt like great flapping moths were trying to beat their way out of there. But Teddy's eyes were so patient, so warm, that she couldn't help but feel a little better just looking at him. He smiled softly and dipped his head to kiss her forehead tenderly.

"At least say we'll try," he pleaded. Victoire remained doubtful, but he took her face in his hands and kissed her again, this time more passionately. He pressed his lips to her with vigour and clutched her to him with a fierce protectiveness. His hands ran through her long hair, tugging it loose from its ponytail, and hers roamed over his broad shoulder blades. Eventually, they broke apart and Teddy gave her a weak, hopeful smile.

"Well?" he asked feebly. Victoire sighed and leaned her face against the lapel of his school robes, the moths in her stomach Transfiguring themselves into fireworks.

"We-ell..." she hedged.

"Well what?"

"I guess there's no harm in trying."

It would not be easy. Dominque would be heartbroken, for a while at least, and Grandma Weasley and Auntie Ginny wouldn't talk to Victoire for weeks. Her father would pin Teddy against the wall at the next extended Weasley clan gathering and inform him in no uncertain terms that if he ever hurt Victoire like he had hurt Dom, he would kill him, chop him into little pieces, and bury him. Not necessarily in that order. But in the end, things would work out. Dom would realise that Victoire and Teddy had something special, and eventually she would find that with Claire Wood's little brother, Ewan. It would all be alright. And it would definitely prove to be worth a try. 


End file.
